DIGHTON — When Anthony Azar begins his official tenure as the superintendent of Dighton-Rehoboth schools on July 1, it will represent his first superintendent post and a new beginning.

In many ways, it also represents a homecoming for Azar.

Azar served as a principal of the former Mulcahey Middle School in Taunton. He was dismissed seven years ago before he assumed his current post as an administrator of curriculum and professional development for New Bedford Public Schools.

In Greater Taunton, he met his wife and forged lifelong bonds with members of the community.

Azar lives in Rehoboth and will head up a district adjacent to Taunton, a place he holds dear to his heart. He began his tenure at Mulcahey as an assistant principal in 1994. He left for three years from 2001-04 to take on a principal’s job in Rhode Island before returning to Mulcahey as principal in 2004.

“I currently count many families and former colleagues in Taunton as very dear friends. When it was reported in the Gazette recently about my appointment to the superintendent position, I heard from many of these people,” he said recently. “The school community of Mulcahey Middle School was an extended family.”

Azar noted that during his tenure at Mulcahey, the school community faced triumph and tragedy.

One student died while Azar was principal and he noted that a tree is planted on Azar’s property in the student’s honor.

Azar also faced his own trials. His mother passed away and his son was born prematurely — all within a span of a few months.

“I have vivid memories of how the Mulcahey/Taunton School Community came to comfort me and my family through some extremely difficult and dark times,” Azar said.

But with the bad also came a lot of good.

“Despite some of the greatest odds against us at the time, the teachers and students were able to progress further than anyone would have ever believed,” he said.

“When measured through MCAS and the provisions in the No Child Left Behind designations, the Mulcahey Middle School was only one of a handful of schools in Massachusetts that went from, in 2006, met no Annual Yearly Progress, to meeting AYP in all measurable areas as reported in 2007,” Azar said. “This turn of events was nothing short of remarkable and was never to be repeated again.”

In spite of the miraculous turnaround, the popular Azar’s position was not extended beyond the 2006-07 school year, a controversial move at that time that led to some parents’ protests.

But Azar moved on to his current role in New Bedford and Mulcahey was later converted into an elementary school during the 2011-12 school year.

Page 2 of 2 - Azar said his goal for Dighton-Rehoboth will be to raise its status from a state Level 2 district to Level 1.

As a coach and a parent in the community, Azar said some parents have told him that they choose not to send their kids to Dighton-Rehoboth and they are critical of the district.

“At some point in time and over time we began to lose students to other schools,” Azar said. “It became very painfully obvious that the school system was not meeting the needs of all students. Thus, parents felt as though D-R was a great place to raise their child, but not such a great place to send their child to the public schools. I personally have not felt that way. We send our children to the public schools, one at the elementary school and one at the high school.

“The potential of this district is astronomical and we need to tap into it and expand it exponentially.”

Azar said he plans on reaching out to parents who have lost faith in the school system.

He said many in Dighton-Rehoboth know Azar through his coaching and other endeavors, and have supported him while he was a candidate for the superintendent’s position. In the end, the support certainly didn’t hurt his chances — the School Committee voted 8-2 in favor of Azar last month.

He is working with D-R interim superintendent Michael Malone this month and next to get more acclimated with the district. After that, he will begin working full-time in June. His official tenure begins July 1.

“It has been a very long road to get back to the Greater Taunton area, and I could not be any happier,” Azar said. “What a great way to celebrate my 30th year in education, with many more to come.”